Martha seems
doomed to occupy a place on the outermost fringe of the repertoire
in Britain. Even then its occasional performances occupy little
critical or other attention. This is surely unjust, given music
full of delight and invention and a plot which is a kind of
first cousin to Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore” in its
depiction of rural life and minor deceptions. It offers few
opportunities to producers wanting to make a name for themselves
but plenty to singers willing to allow the charm of the music
to speak naturally. Given this and its English setting, I have
been hoping for a long time that Chandos might include it in
its “Opera in English” series, but that seems unlikely and this
did look like a good substitute. It is, however, nothing of
the kind, and overall does no sort of justice to the opera.
Problems start with
the text. Maybe the opera is at times a little slow moving,
but that is no excuse for the kind of wholesale butchery practised
here. The notes refer to “some cuts being made to the score”,
but almost every number has such long sections removed that
their original shape is unrecognizable. To add insult to injury
a short ballet is added between the two scenes of the first
Act for no obvious reason. The opera is sung in an English version
by Ann Ronell. Its quality can be measured from such couplets
as:
“He
is working like a demon;
You
can tell his temper’s steamin’.”
Unfortunately the
diction of most of the singers enables much of it to be heard.
No text or translations are included but there are good notes
about the singers and the opera, and an adequate synopsis.
The reason for the
issue of the discs is that it is apparently the only recording
of the title role by Victoria de los Angeles. She is indeed
its great glory, singing with a sense of style and a beauty
of tone and phrasing that is certainly worth hearing. It is
hard to believe the notes when they say that it was the only
opera which she was hesitant about singing. Perhaps she knew
the kind of perversion which she might be asked to perform.
Her singing of “The last rose of summer” and her duets with
Richard Tucker are the high points of this recording, and they
do indeed just about justify the issue of the rest. Despite
a reputation as a somewhat solid and unsubtle singer Tucker
too is worth hearing, singing with unexpected ardour, sensitivity
and flexibility.
The rest of the
cast range from the adequate (Elias), to the coarse, (Alvary),
and the very coarse (Tozzi). The chorus, when their part has
not been cut, all too often sound ragged and out of tune. The
orchestra are better, being clearly well drilled in what the
conductor expects of them. Unfortunately this often appears
to be an approach more suited to musicals than to an opera which
responds well to a more refined approach. The spinning quartet
is marked Allegretto non troppo but is taken so fast
that its charm is wholly lost. At the other extreme Lionel’s
“Ach, so fromm” is marked Allegro moderato but is taken
at an andante, despite Tucker’s apparent attempts to
speed it up whenever possible.
When all of this
is taken together with a recording which is at best dim and
often worse, and prone to changes of pitch in held notes, it
is clear that you would have to be a very fervent admirer of
de los Angeles to buy this set. When I listen to her singing
I think that I might be inclined to join them, but should warn
that a strong stomach is needed for much of the rest.
John Sheppard
Lady Harriet (Martha)
– Victoria de los Angeles (soprano); Nancy (Julia) – Rosalind Elias
(mezzo); Lionel – Richard Tucker (tenor); Plunket – Giorgio Tozzi
(bass); Lord Tristram – Lorenzo Alvary (bass); Sheriff – Gerhard
Pechner (bass)
